Tasman war of words worsens

Trans-Tasman relations have nosedived, with both governments warning each other to butt out of their domestic affairs.
On The House Blog: Trans-Tasman tantrums a storm in a sandpit

Debate on an 85-year-old dispute about apples, a senior Australian politician's visit to a strip club and Air New Zealand helping to fly Australian troops to Iraq have combined to create an icy chill.

Australia labelled the Clark government's condemnation of Air New Zealand for its Australian troop flights "unfriendly", as New Zealand launched a World Trade Organisation offensive on apple exports.

Prime Minister Helen Clark also delved into commenting on the furore over Australian Opposition leader Kevin Rudd's visit to a strip club, suggesting it was not "appropriate" entertainment.

The Air New Zealand row escalated yesterday, when Miss Clark accused Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer of weighing into a domestic political issue.

She came close to accusing Australia of leaking details of conversations between senior diplomats.

She also made clear her displeasure at Mr Downer's addressing a National Party conference earlier this month.

"There's been an unspoken convention for all the years I've been (prime minister) that we haven't addressed party conferences in each other's countries."

Her comments followed Mr Downer's delivering a dressing down to New Zealand's senior diplomat in Canberra, John Larkindale, and a phone call yesterday between Australia's high commissioner and Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry chief executive Simon Murdoch.

Miss Clark said she learnt the phone call would be made through a newspaper article two days before it happened, and made it clear the information could not have come from the New Zealand Government.

The meeting and the phone call were in response to a fierce Government attack on Air New Zealand for not telling it about a deal to deliver Australian troops to the Iraq border.

Their purpose was to express Australia's displeasure at what was seen as an attack on its troops and to inform the Government that Australian forces would not be using Air New Zealand in future.

"To find out late on Thursday (Mr Downer) had called in the New Zealand high commissioner, then to read about ... a meeting between the Australian high commissioner which hadn't occurred and didn't occur till this morning, I found somewhat odd," Miss Clark said.

But Mr Downer refused to back down, saying through a spokesman that he considered comments by the New Zealand Government last week about Air New Zealand "unfriendly".

They were seen as the New Zealand Government attacking Australian troops for "domestic political purpose".

The spokesman also rejected suggestions that Mr Downer had breached any convention by addressing a National Party conference in Auckland this month.

"He actually had a discussion about that with (Miss Clark) face to face at the end of May and informed her he was going to do it as a diplomatic courtesy.

"And indeed she indicated at the time she didn't have any concerns about that," the spokesman said.

The war of words erupted as New Zealand announced it would take Australia to the World Trade Organisation for its refusal to allow New Zealand apples in.

- © Fairfax NZ News